State Sen. Russell Fulcher, R-Meridian, filed paperwork Saturday for a possible run for governor, according to the Idaho Statesman’s Dan Popkey.
Fulcher, the Senate’s majority caucus chairman, filed paperwork to appoint and certify a political treasurer — a first step toward raising money for a challenge to incumbent Gov. Butch Otter, Popkey reported.
Fulcher is the Senate’s majority caucus chairman, the No. 4 spot in Senate GOP leadership. He is in his fifth term in the Senate, and works in commercial real estate off-session.
Fulcher sits on the Senate Education Committee. But in a written statement to the Idaho Statesman, Fulcher did not mention education issues. He did focus on Otter’s support of a state health insurance exchange — a plan Fulcher opposed during the 2013 legislative session.
“By the next election, Governor Otter will have already served two terms in office, and I am concerned that he has lost touch with the will of the people of Idaho,” Fulcher wrote. “His regrettable decision to voluntarily thrust Idaho into Obamacare exemplifies this.”
Otter has not formally announced his candidacy, but has hired business lobbyist Jayson Ronk to run a 2014 campaign. Perennial fringe candidate Harley Brown has said he will run for in the GOP primary.
